Abstract

The present paper reports the fabrication of dye sensitized solar cell(DSSC), where boron dopedZnO (BZO) and aluminum-boron co-doped ZnO (AZB) thin films were used as front window electrodes. The highly crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by the sol-gel route were used as host material for the dye. The efficiencies of the DSSCs formed using the BZO and AZB as window layers were obtained to be 1.56 and 1.84%, respectively. The enhanced efficiency in the case of an AZB window layer based DSSC is attributed to the increase in conductivity induced by co-doping of Al and B and an increase in the number of conducting pathways between the window layer and NPs provided by the nanorods. This facilitates a new approach in the window layer (dopedZnO) for DSSC application.

This work is based on the research supported by the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation of South Africa. The financial support from the Cluster program of the University of the Free State is highly recognised. The authors are thankful to University Science Instrumentation Centre (USIC) University of Delhi, New Delhi for providing TEM facilities. Special thanks to Mr. Rahul Bhardwaj for HRTEM measurements.

[Diffusion of impurity materials, e.g. doping materials, electrode materials, into, or out of, a semiconductor body, or between semiconductor regions; Redistribution of impurity materials, e.g. without introduction or removal of further dopant, Diffusion of impurity materials, e.g. doping
materials, electrode materials, into, or out of, a semiconductor body, or between
semiconductor regions; Redistribution of impurity materials, e.g. without introduction
or removal of further dopant]

[Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components or integrated circuits formed in or on a common substrate or of specific parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of specific parts thereof, Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of
a plurality of solid state components or integrated circuits formed in or on a common
substrate or of specific parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of
specific parts thereof]